The subject invention concerns a machine for producing useful work by aid of a thermodynamic process. Consequently, the disclosed machine may be called a thermal-power-machine. The most important aspect of that machine is founded on the physical and technical facts which are described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,408, my English Pat. No. 1,489,415, among others. The afore-mentioned United States patent is incorporated by reference herein.
In the above disclosures, I described how heat can be compelled to pass over from a lower to a higher temperature without the wasting of external work by only complying with certain physical conditions. In other words, I described a theory of how heat of the surroundings can be converted spontaneously into useful work. For reasons of simplicity, I call this theory the Platen Effect. The apparatus used is called the Platen Machine.
In connection with the above-identified U.S. patent, I have filed a treatise entitled "Essay for School Pupils", which provides a basic theoretical background for the Platen Effect.
For convenience, relevant sections of my "Essay for School Pupils" will be repeated herein, with references to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings in the present application.
Let us look at FIG. 1. There is a cylinder 1, a completely sealing and mobile piston 2 and a small quantity of liquid (ammonia, for example) 3. FIG. 2 shows a graph where the ordinate p is the gas pressure in cylinder 1 and the abscissa v is the interior volume. In the graph at point a the pressure is p.sub.a and the volume v.sub.a. At points b and c, pressure and volume are p.sub.b, v.sub.b, p.sub.c and v.sub.c respectively.
The amount of liquid ammonia is called q.sub.x ; it may be reckoned in grams or numbers of molecules. Chamber 4 above the liquid contains saturated ammonia vapour. We now pump in an inert gas, for example, helium. This is a process A, which produces a rise in pressure. Everything takes place at constant temperature, for example, that of the surroundings. Now our system of liquid-vapour tries to defend itself against the rise in pressure by means of a process B. This consists of the ammonia 3 evaporating from its surface as the pressure mounts. It seems as though the evaporating ammonia molecules want to migrate into the gas-space 4 to escape the pressure of the inert gas on the surface of the liquid ammonia 3. When this migration has reduced the volume of liquid 3, the volume of gas-space 4 will have increased by the same amount. The result is that, if a quantity of inert gas, say q.sub.q, is pumped in, the rise in pressure is less than it would have been if molecules had not been able to migrate into the gas-space.
But suppose the molecules are prevented from migrating, for instance, by placing a thin gold foil over the surface of liquid 3.
We must say now that the migrants' departure into the gas-space cannot possibly cause an increase in total pressure--in spite of a slight rise in partial pressure of the saturated ammonia vapour which we know occurs--since the migration is itself caused by the pressure increase, and an effect cannot augment its own cause. Thus, the predominating effect produced in terms of Le Chatelier's principle, is the increase in volume of gas-space 4.
When we have pumped in the quantity of gas q.sub.q, we find that we have arrived at point a in the graph, FIG. 2. If we had covered the liquid surface with the gold foil, we should have reached the higher point c. We see that p.sub.a is less than p.sub.c or p.sub.a &lt;p.sub.c. The quantity of liquid q.sub.x has been chosen so that, when we reach point a, just exactly all the liquid has evaporated--that is, all its molecules have migrated.
We now push piston 2 slowly in, describing a curve to the left of point a in FIG. 2. At this point, ammonia condenses. Precisely when the previous quantity q.sub.x of liquid has been formed, or, let us say reformed, we stop piston 2. Now we find ourselves at point b. Here we cut off direct contact between liquid and gas, for instance, by laying the very thin gold foil over the liquid. We then let the piston withdraw to its first position, that is, from v.sub.b to v.sub.c. Now we do not follow curve b-a, but describe b-c instead, since we have cut off contact between liquid and gas. Pressure p.sub.c is greater than p.sub.a, or p.sub.c &gt;p.sub.a, since at point c the gas mixture contains no migrants. We now remove the gold foil. Migrants leave the liquid and enter the gas. It is clear from what has already been said that, at constant volume (v.sub.c =v.sub.a), the pressure will now fall from p.sub.c to p.sub.a. Thus, an amount of work equivalent to area a-b-c-a will be released, which work is analogous to perpetual motion of the second order.
When a liquid evaporates in the presence of an inert gas, evaporation heat decreases as gas pressure increases. The same is true when a vapour condenses. When condensation takes place along route a-b, the mean pressure is higher than when evaporation occurs along route c-a. Thus, more heat is taken up from the surroundings in evaporation, than is given back in condensation. This difference is work a-b-c-a expressed in units of heat.
A suitable order of magnitude for these pressures is p.sub.a =100 and p.sub.b =300 atmospheres. Even at very low pressures, this quasi-perpetual motion effect will occur, though naturally only in very slight, barely noticeable degree.
Experiments have been carried out, though unfortunately not repeated often enough, since the process seems self-evident. With p.sub.c =1000 atmospheres, it was found that p.sub.a was about 900 atmospheres. The inert gas was nitrogen and the liquid was ammonia. In a latter experiment, cylinder 1 was constructed of clear transparent plexiglass reinforced at 1 mm intervals with steel rings 1 mm thick. Onc could then observe how condensation took place from a to b. The liquid was propane with a trace of colouring matter added. The experiments were carried out at between one hundred and several hundred atmospheres pressure.
In my aforementioned United States patent, I claimed, inter alia, a method and apparatus for transferring heat by means of cyclic thermodynamic process in accordance with the above-discussed theory, as follows.
A method of transferring heat energy by means of a cyclic thermodynamic process comprising the steps of:
providing an axis of rotation, PA0 providing a plurality of rigid annular containers positioned adjacent one to another concentric about said axis and located at progressively greater radial distances from the axis of rotation, PA0 providing good thermal conductivity between said chambers, PA0 providing in each of said chambers a mixture of propane and an inert gas sealed therein, PA0 mounting said concentric annular chambers in an enclosing hermetically sealed static chamber closely spaced from said annular chambers for defining a narrow gap therebetween, PA0 filling said narrow gap with hydrogen, PA0 rotating said concentric annular containers at high speed about said axis, PA0 allowing heat energy to enter the innermost of said concentric annular chambers, and PA0 allowing heat energy to be released from the outermost of said chambers across said gap. PA0 providing a medium comprising at least two substances A and B, PA0 separating substance A from substance B at a first point u' defining a first thermodynamic parameter and allowing the medium to release energy during said separating at said first point u'. PA0 combining substance A with substance B at a second point u" defining a second thermodynamic parameter and which point is positioned remote from said first point u' and allowing the medium to absorb energy during said combining at said second point u". PA0 providing a circulation channel for the medium between said first and second points, PA0 applying a force field to the medium for maintaining a predetermined differential in the total pressure of the medium at said first and second points, and PA0 inducing the separation and combination of the substances A and B by diffusion therebetween, PA0 whereby energy is transferred from the second point u" to the first point u'. PA0 an axle mounted in bearing means and rotatable about an axis, PA0 means of high tensile strength defining a plurality of hermetically sealed rigid annular containers positioned adjacent one to another concentric about said axis and located at progressively greater radial distances from the axis of rotation, PA0 the innermost of said concentric chambers being mounted on said axle and the outermost of said chambers being encircled by a strong cylinder, PA0 said concentric chambers having good thermal conductivity therebetween in the radial direction, PA0 means thermally insulating the axial ends of said concentric chambers, PA0 said chambers having sealed therein a mixture of propane and an inert gas, PA0 means defining a hermetically sealed static chamber enclosing said axle and said concentric annular chambers, said static chamber being closely spaced about said concentric annular chambers defining a narrow gap between said static chamber and said concentric chambers, PA0 hydrogen in said narrow gap, and PA0 said axle with said concentric chambers mounted thereon being adapted to be rotated at high speeds as the rotor of a multiphase induction motor.
A method for transferring energy by means of a cyclic thermodynamic process comprising the steps of:
Apparatus for transferring heat energy by means of a cyclic thermodynamic process comprising:
As more fully described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,408, the Platen Machine and Platen Effect disclosed therein contemplate recovering energy by means of a cyclic thermodynamic process which is induced by means of a medium comprising at least two substances or groups of substances, one of which substances is separated from the other at a point u' defining a first thermodynamic parameter of the medium and combined with the other one of said substances at a second point" defining second thermodynamic parameter of the medium while the differential in total pressure of the medium is maintained between the two points. The separation and combination of the two substances are induced by diffusion whereby one of the substances or groups of substances is diffused out of the other one of the substances or groups of substances at the first point and diffused into the other substances at the second point. The method contemplates particularly the recovery of energy from a heat reservoir of lower temperature by means of a cyclic thermodynamic process and has particular application to steam engines, refrigeration plants and heat pumps for the purpose of increasing the efficiency thereof and is based upon the concept of combining two processes one of which produces work and the other one of which absorbs work.
As best disclosed starting on line 19 of Column 18 and in FIG. 15 of the aforementioned United States patent, one aspect of the Platen Machine utilizes a plurality of concentric chambers enclosed within a hermetically sealed static chamber. The concentric chambers contain, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, a mixture of propane and an inert gas, and these chambers are rotated about an axis at high speeds. Heat is presented to the innermost of the chambers and released from the outermost of the chambers across a hydrogen filled narrow gap defined between the concentric chambers and the hermetically sealed static chambers.
The above described method and apparatus is capable of receiving heat from a heat reservoir at a lower temperature and transferring the heat to an area of higher temperature for producing useful work.